Do you feel tired? Are you struggling with your weekly service training because you run out of energy after a short time? This often manifests itself in sudden muscle failure, which means that your muscles no longer provide the desired energy.
What are the causes and what can you actively do about it?
You can find out these questions and tips for powerful training in the following article!
Muscle failure - illness or just a lack of energy?
If you can no longer run after a few rallies, this is usually due to a lack of energy. This lack of energy is either acute or chronic. If you have chronic problems with the efficiency of your muscles, it is advisable to have a health check carried out by a sports physician. Acute muscle failure usually has one of the following causes:
- Overtraining
- Nutrient deficiency
- Lack of sleep
So you can see that you can make a fairly rough assessment of where the cause of your problem might lie.
If you generally train too much or push your strength limits too often, take a more cautious approach to your tennis training. If you suffer from a lack of nutrients in the sense of an undersupply, check what you eat every day and which nutrients are particularly essential for more power. If you suffer from a lack of sleep, make sure you get enough rest and relaxation so that your body recovers more easily - even if you train extensively three times a week and are also in the match phase at weekends in the summer.
Easier said than done? What are the causes of overtraining, lack of nutrients and lack of sleep?
1. overloading:
In most cases, overloading results from long-term, one-sided strain. In tennis in particular, every player is familiar with the term “tennis elbow”. This is basically nothing more than an overload. The result of the prolonged imbalance that you train when hitting is an overstressed load phase of your hitting hand.
The recovery phase plays an important role here. If it is too short or not adapted to your training requirements, the worst case scenario is acute muscle failure - then you will lack the necessary power.
Probably the most important symptom of this cause is a short-term loss of performance. It's better to stop in training, but this shouldn't happen in matches.
2. overtraining syndrome:
In this type of energy deficiency, there are other symptoms in addition to the drop in performance. According to some medical hypotheses, psychological and neurological symptoms can occur in addition to the physical symptoms. The consequences can be seen, for example, in listlessness or sleep disorders. Depressive moods and lack of motivation are also becoming increasingly common as possible consequences of overtraining.
Are you challenging your body too much?
Are you even overtaxing him with training that doesn't match your physical and mental constitution? Even if you are in an important match phase or have specialized your training in strength building, regular recovery is extremely important. Get to know your limit and, if possible, only exceed it when it comes to the match point.
Mindful use of your strength during training is the basis for sustainable and efficient muscle building.
Perhaps one of the following tips will help you :
- Don't overstrain your muscles during training
- Does your arm hurt? Take a break and regenerate!
- Have you run out of energy? Observe your body and get an objective opinion if in doubt - are you asking too much of it?
If you eat too little protein, you make it difficult for your body to build muscle in the long term. If you lack carbohydrates, you may suffer short-term energy slumps. However, in addition to macronutrients, which include fatty acids, your body also needs essential micronutrients, which include bulk elements, trace elements and vitamins.
In order to provide your body and mind with sufficient nutrients, you need a good balance of the macro and micronutrients listed above. Regardless of whether you eat proteins from meat, fish, eggs, dairy products or eggs - make sure you eat a varied diet. If you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, always make sure you have a sufficient supply of essential substances such as vitamin B12 and iron. With any type of diet, it is important to eat a healthy amount of foods rich in vital substances in order to be able to compete at full strength at the next tennis tournament.
A feeling of weakness, whether in the arms or legs, is often caused by a lack of sleep. In general, those affected initially assume that it is muscle weakness. However, if you feel unsteady, for example when sprinting to the ball, or if you are even wobbly on your feet, muscle weakness can be ruled out in most cases. In fact, most examinations reveal a chronic lack of sleep, which means that training is counterproductive in these cases. This is usually due to tension in the subcutaneous connective tissue, the so-called fascia. This is often due to a lack of rest.
Recovery starts with a break and continues with sufficient sleep and optimal care of the body and mind. The reason why you have no more power in tennis training could also be a thyroid dysfunction, which usually manifests itself in the form of tiredness.
Of course, sleep is the factor with the highest priority for recovery. But if it is insufficient or unhealthy, for example because you can't really relax or have trouble sleeping, you should always seek the advice of a sports physician .
The following tips could also help you to relax optimally before or after a workout:
- Sauna, wellness
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Brain training
- Powernap
- Meditation
- Qigong, Tai Chi, yoga
- Relaxation exercises, fascia massage, breathing relaxation through breathing exercises
